Comments Off on Top 10 ways to ruin your electronic devices on a bank holiday weekend (or holidays)

Summer, sun, beach and sea – the perfect combination for a relaxing holiday for most people but not so much for our electronic companions.

1. Sun

Smartphones or tablets do not tolerate sunlight very well, apple gives warnings for temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius. High temperatures reduce the life of the battery, can damage the liquid crystals in the display and plastic cases can melt, this can lead to a short circuit in the worst case scenario. What many people don´t know is that temperatures with-in cars can rise above 60 degrees when they are parked in the sun for over an hour. In conclusion, do not leave children, dogs or smartphones in your car at all times.

2. Sand

Sand can enter the smallest cracks of our electronic friends. A fine brush or a cold hair dryer can help to remove the sand and can prevent individual keys from being blocked. Simply wiping sand away with the back of one`s hand can leave fine scratches on the screen. If the smartphone has to go to the beach, then, if possible, in a suitable pocket.

3. Water

Water to this day is still the biggest enemy of electronics. Be it that a device drops from the railing during a boat trip or is sprayed with salt water at the beach. In all cases, the problem is that if water gets inside an electronic device it can lead to short circuits and is associated with data loss. Important when using soaked equipment: Don´t try to switch it on, remove the battery and dry in the air. Never ever put the device in an oven or use the hairdryer!

4. Theft

Smartphones disappear easily in crowds when bags are not sealed properly. In most cases, the devices are gone for good. A good tip is to reactivate your older smartphone before the trip, or even make a data backup before departure.

5. Car accident

Cars and electronic devices never go that well together. Sometimes the car doors are opened and the mobile phone/camera falls onto the street accidentally, camera bags aren’t secured during motorcycle tours and the classic situation: the mobile phone or camera is placed on the car roof and forgotten.

6. Party

It’s holiday time, you are relaxed and ready to celebrate with some cocktails. It may quickly happen that a drink spills over the table and hits your smartphone. The result (a wet device is not the only issue) dissolving substances in the beverage can do additional damage. Sugar, for example, has the unpleasant property of being able to form crystals when drying what can lead to short circuit. Apart from the fact that dried sugar is a rather sticky matter. In such a case, contact a specialist, individual rescue attempts could only make it worse.

7. Sun cream

It´s hot, the sun is burning and your skin needs some protection. You quickly get out the sun cream and by hazard, the smartphone gets some lotion as well. Sun cream can get stuck in small openings of your devices and the substances additionally can harm coated displays. Wiping thoroughly and carefully should help – hopefully.

8. Pets

Family pets are always excited to see their owners on return from summer vacation. Sometimes in their greetings, things can go wrong, from knocking electronics out of hands to tearing off the external hard drive. This can be really critical and could create severe data loss. Be vigilant on your return and make sure your electronics are always stored safely.

9. Gardening

Gardening can be a chore and in the heat of the battle, electronics can become casualties. From smartphones slipping out of pockets to electronic devices coming in contact with water or gardening tools. The issues that can arise may cause problems that are difficult to solve, even for professional data recovery specialists.

10. Toilets

A recent study found that one-third of the mobile phone owners lost their smartphones due to an unfortunate event. Twelve per cent of the respondents had left their smartphone on the top of the car before driving away. Five percent reported that their pet destroyed the smartphone. But 20 percent of respondents reported that their device had fallen into the toilet.

The Kroll Ontrack holiday tip: take an older or a cheaper smartphone with you on vacation. We highly recommended you backup the data of your current device, then, in the worst case, your data has not completely disappeared.

Have you ever had a summer data loss disaster? Let us know what happened by tweeting @OntrackUKIE.